How has the economy affected your grocery shopping habits?

Have you started buying more generic products?

My fiance and I used to spend $120 a week on groceries without blinking an eye. That’s a lot of dough to feed only 2 people.

We started eliminating unnecessaries. We are each allotted one ‘snacky’ food per shopping trip, we buy what produce is in season, and visit local farmers markets where we can.

We’ve also started planning meals before going shopping. Knowing what you need to buy for the week and making a list makes it easier to manage. We stick to the list, and therefore spend less.

Another little trick: We started using the same bath/shower products. We used to use separate shampoos, body washes, facial cleansers, and the like. Now, we’ve found products that the both of us can use (nothing too manly or too girly) so we’re not spending a fortune on that stuff.

We do buy generic too…bot for everything, but for some stuff: Bread, some cereals, oatmeal, and other little things are store brands instead of brand name.

We’ve limited take out to once a week. Otherwise, we cook nightly, and bring leftovers to work for lunch the next day.

Lastly, before going groceries we eat. Never shop on an empty stomach. And we compare sales fliers and plan our shopping at the cheapest store in the area, and plan our meals around what’s on sale.

Over $100 of groceries for the price of 1 fast food meal

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